86 FR 57 pgs. 16239-16241 - Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC; Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility; and US Ecology, Inc.; Idaho Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Subtitle C Hazardous Disposal Facility Located Near Grand View, Idaho
Type: NOTICEVolume: 86Number: 57Pages: 16239 - 16241
Pages: 16239, 16240, 16241Docket number: [Docket No. 70–1151; NRC–2021–0062]
FR document: [FR Doc. 2021–06301 Filed 3–25–21; 8:45 am]
Agency: Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Official PDF Version: PDF Version
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 70-1151; NRC-2021-0062]
Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC; Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility; and US Ecology, Inc.; Idaho Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Subtitle C Hazardous Disposal Facility Located Near Grand View, Idaho
AGENCY:
Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION:
License amendment and exemption; issuance.
SUMMARY:
[top] The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing an exemption and associated license
DATES:
This exemption is effective on March 12, 2021.
ADDRESSES:
Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2021-0062 when contacting the NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You may obtain publicly available information related to this document using any of the following methods:
• Federal Rulemaking website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2021-0062. Address questions about Docket IDs in Regulations.gov to Stacy Schumann; telephone: 301-415-0624; email: Stacy.Schumann@nrc.gov. For technical questions, contact the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document.
• NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS): You may obtain publicly available documents online in the ADAMS Public Documents collection at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the search, select "Begin Web-based ADAMS Search." For problems with ADAMS, please contact the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by email to pdr.resource@nrc.gov. The Request for Alternate Disposal Approval and Exemption for Specific Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility Waste (License No. SNM-1197, Docket No. 70-1151) dated February 8, 2021 is available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML21039A719. The staff's Safety Evaluation Report dated March 3, 2021 is available in ADAMS under Package Accession No. ML21053A335.
• Attention: The PDR, where you may examine and order copies of public documents, is currently closed. You may submit your request to the PDR via email at pdr.resource@nrc.gov or call 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (EST), Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
David Tiktinsky, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-8740, email: David.Tiktinsky@nrc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC (WEC) is the holder of a Special Nuclear Materials (SNM) License SNM-1107 under Part 70 of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), which authorizes the fabrication of nuclear fuel at the Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility (CFFF). The US Ecology, Inc. (USEI) disposal facility near Grand View, Idaho is a Subtitle C Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) hazardous waste disposal facility permitted by the State of Idaho to receive radioactive waste that is not licensed or exempted from licensing by the NRC.
II. Request/Action
The proposed action would approve the alternate disposal request and provide exemptions to 10 CFR 70.3 and 10 CFR 30.3, and an associated WEC license amendment, allowing WEC to transfer and USEI to receive and dispose specific wastes.
Westinghouse had previously requested and received a corresponding exemption and license amendment, dated December 9, 2020 (ADAMS Accession No. ML20302A084) to transfer approximately 1428 m 3 (50,400 ft 3 ) of solid contaminated Calcium Fluoride (CaF 2 ) sludge to the USEI RCRA Subtitle C hazardous waste disposal facility near Grand View, Idaho for disposal. This material was dredged from the Calcium Fluoride Lagoons and subsequently placed in a storage pile. USEI was granted a corresponding exemption to receive and dispose of this material on December 9, 2020.
After Westinghouse received the December 9, 2020 exemption, it discovered that the actual volume of CaF 2 was less than the 1428 m 3 (50,400 ft 3 ) previously assumed. The actual volume was 694 m 3 (24,500 ft 3 ). In its February 8, 2021 letter, Westinghouse has requested an exemption and license amendment to dispose of 733 m 3 (25,900 ft 3 ) of similar CaF 2 from the "Operations" pile. The total amount of CaF 2 material (from the previous approval the additional material considered here) would not exceed the previously approved volume of 1428 m 3 (50,400 ft 3 ). In addition, the CaF 2 from the "Operations" pile is similar to the previously approved material, and the total activity and other parameters for the disposal at USEI will not differ from the initial approval. The CaF 2 sludge was generated as a waste from uranium recovery waste treatment process and is contaminated with SNM (low enriched uranium {<5 wt. % U-235}) as well.
The previously exempted sludge, soil, and debris associated with the closure of the East Lagoon will be shipped with the CaF 2 sludge to USEI using a combination of trucks and railcars.
III. Discussion
Pursuant to 10 CFR 70.17 and 10 CFR 30.11, the Commission may, upon application of any interested person or upon its own initiative, grant such exemptions from the requirements of 10 CFR part 70 and Part 30 respectively, as it determines are authorized by law and will not endanger life or property or the common defense and security and are otherwise in the public interest.
The Exemption Is Authorized by Law
The proposal provides that the material previously described, would be transported in compliance with U.S. Department of Transportation regulations to USEI in Idaho, which is a Subtitle C, RCRA hazardous waste disposal facility permitted by the State of Idaho. As such, the material will be removed per State and local regulations, will be shipped per existing Federal regulations to a location approved by the State of Idaho to receive the material, and such disposal is not otherwise contrary to NRC requirements, and is therefore authorized by law.
The Exemption Will Not Endanger Life, Property and Is Consistent With The Common Defense and Security
[top] NRC staff reviewed the information provided by WEC to support their 10 CFR 20.2002 alternate disposal request and for the specific exemptions from 10 CFR 30.3 and 10 CFR 70.3 and associated license amendment in order to dispose of CaF 2 sludge from the "Operations pile" as aggregated waste at
The Exemption Is in the Public Interest
Issuance of the exemption to WEC and USEI is in the public interest because it would provide for the efficient and safe disposal for the subject waste material, would facilitate the decommissioning of the East Lagoon at the CFFF site, and would conserve low-level radioactive waste disposal capacity at licensed low-level radioactive disposal sites, while ensuring that the material being considered is disposed of safely in a regulated facility. Therefore, based upon the evaluation above, an exemption is appropriate pursuant to 10 CFR 30.11 and 10 CFR 70.17.
IV. Environmental Considerations
As required by 10 CFR 51.21, the NRC performed an environmental assessment (EA) that analyzes the environmental impacts of the proposed exemption in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and NRC implementing regulations in 10 CFR part 51. Based on that EA, the NRC staff has determined not to prepare an environmental impact statement for the proposed exemption and has issued a finding of no significant impact (FONSI). The EA and FONSI were published in the Federal Register on March 11, 2021 (86 FR 13915).
V. Conclusions
Accordingly, the Commission has determined that, pursuant to 10 CFR 70.17 and 10 CFR 30.11, the exemptions for WEC and USEI and associated WEC license amendment are authorized by law, will not present an undue risk to the public health and safety, is consistent with the common defense and security, and is in the public interest. Therefore, the Commission hereby grants WEC and USEI exemptions from 10 CFR 70.3 and 10 CFR 30.3 to allow WEC to transfer the specifically identified byproduct material and SNM waste described above from the WEC CFFF for disposal at the USEI disposal facility located near Grand View, Idaho, and issues WEC a conforming license amendment.
Dated: March 23, 2021.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Jacob I. Zimmerman,
Chief, Fuel Facility Licensing Branch, Division of Fuel Management, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2021-06301 Filed 3-25-21; 8:45 am]
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